CINCINNATI — The Kroger Co. announced today the promotion of Donna Giordano as president of the Ralphs Division.
Ms. Giordano, 57, has been president of the company's Quality Food Centers (QFC) division, based in Seattle, WA, since 2002. She succeeds Mike Donnelly, who was recently promoted to senior vice president of merchandising for Kroger.
"Donna is an engaging and strategic leader who has earned the respect of our associates," said Rodney McMullen, president and chief operating officer of Kroger. "Donna's extensive experience and focus on connecting with customers has contributed to the success of QFC. She has passion and gets the job done. We are excited that she accepted this new role to lead Ralphs."
Ms. Giordano brings a tremendous amount of retail experience to Ralphs. She joined the company's King Soopers banner in 1972 while still in college. She was named store manager at King Soopers in 1982, and later held various director-level positions in key areas, including advertising, bakery, general merchandise, grocery, and pharmacy. In 1999, Donna was promoted to vice president of sales & marketing of King Soopers. She was promoted to President of QFC in 2002.
"I am very excited about the opportunity to connect with Ralphs customers and associates," Ms. Giordano said. "And I would like to thank the QFC team for their support and dedication to our customers in the Northwest. I look forward to working with our great Southern California team to deliver value and a superior shopping experience to our customers while creating more opportunities for associates."
Ms. Giordano and her husband, Mario, currently reside in Seattle. They have two daughters. She will transition to Ralphs, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, in early August.
Kroger, the nation's largest traditional grocery retailer, employs more than 338,000 associates who serve customers in 2,449 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's. The company also operates 785 convenience stores, 359 fine jewelry stores, 1,035 supermarket fuel centers and 40 food processing plants in the U.S. Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, and local organizations in the communities it serves. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.
Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates 256 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company is a division of The Kroger Co. For more about Ralphs, please visit www.ralphs.com.
Source: The Kroger Co.
